Dulcet Silence
by Damascus Ochre
Summary: Yamato sits alone on the shores of the Digi-world. Gabumon, Sora, even Takeru is gone... Then, Taichi arrives. Maybe things aren't so bad after all... [Okay. This is HORRIBLY written, so PLEASE do not judge me by this OOOOOLD fic. Ewwy sap. Plotless. X.x]


Started 11.06.2002  
Finished 09.10.2003  
Uploaded 06.24.2004

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**_"Dulcet Silence"_**

by Damascus Ochre

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He sat peacefully, arms crossed over the tops of his knees, gazing apathetically out into the pink lake where he had first met Garurumon. Gabumon had long disappeared in a gruesome battle and was yet to return to him as a Digi-egg. But who cared anymore? Yamato sure as hell didn't. The blond sighed, azure eyes dull and lightless.

"Hey."

He didn't even bother to answer, let alone turn to see Taichi; his dark gaze remained, unwavering on the pink waves lapping at the shore at his feet.

Tai was unfazed, although his voice was clearly laced with nearly completely open concern. "Pretty lake, huh?"

_Pretty lame, huh?_ he muttered to himself as he was only answered with silence. The dark brunet hesitated slightly before attempting a second time to strike up a conversation with the emotionless Yamato. "So, how've ya been? Heard that the band's been doing pretty well, despite your long-term absence. Are you gonna be participating in the Band Wars with them?"

There was still a silence on the other's part.

"Look." At the impatiently firm tone, Yamato finally turned his head slowly to gaze at Tai with the same dead expression. "I know it's been hard coping with Sora, Gabumon, _and_ Takeru being gone--"

"Dead," Yamato corrected impassively, his voice cracking because of its extensively unused state. "There's no use denying it."

"Fine, dead," Tai snapped back with such ferocity that Yamato's eyes flickered slightly with something like to shock. His voice held such a bitterness that it almost seemed...that Tai truly cared for--

No, it was impossible; no one cared what Yamato did or said anymore...

"But it doesn't give you any reason to be acting this way! It's already been two whole years since Sora moved to America with Mimi, where they were unlucky enough to have been caught in the whole '9.11' incident. You know I loved them both very much; they were the greatest girls that I had ever met. But you're crossing the line, Yamato; you've really crossed the line!"

Yamato cast his eyes down to gaze dully at the dirt at his feet. He could only dimly remember Sora's kind face; she was but a vague shadow in the ghostly pools of his memory. Her last email had been so...

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_Oh, Yamato. I know the last time I saw you was when I left to join Mimi in America. Now, now I wish it were different. Now I wish I were still in Japan with the rest of the gang--and, especially, you. I miss being in your arms when I'm cold and lonely; even from the first day I arrived in the U.S. I was scared and longed for you to be there with me. I never really told you how much I loved you. The only reason why I left you was because I couldn't stand seeing Tai there all the time, gazing at us with such sorrow, such longing in those sad eyes. Please tell him I know; he'll understand what I mean. Ask him to please forgive me, even if I don't get to hear it._

_It's so cold, so lonely here. I know I'm going to die here, in the World Trade Center, but I wanted you to know that I was thinking of you in my last moments; that all those years, from the day we met until this time now, I could never have predicted that something like this would take me away from you so dreadfully; that I loved and will continue to love you beyond my death._

_I love you, Yamato_

_Sora_

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...heart wrenching.

"It wasn't her," Yamato whispered, eyes still unemotional. "It wasn't her at all."

"Then what was it, Yamato?" Tai pressed, voice husky with exasperation. "What was it?"

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_"I promise that I'll be here whenever I can, just to see your cheerful face again, Gabumon. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."_

_The Digimon grinned shyly, yellow cheeks tinged crimson as the two hugged. "Aw, Yamato, you're embarrassing me..."_

_Yamato pulled away from the embrace, smile still in place, leaning against the tree trunk to watch the Digital sun sink into the lake of trees with his best friend beside him._

_"I'll wait for you, Yamato. I promise."_

_---- ---- ---- ----_

_"Y-Yamato..."_

_"Shh...don't try, Gabumon..."_

_"Yamato...I'll be back...I'll be back..._

_"...soon..."_

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"Was it Gabumon?"

Silence. "No."

Tai hesitated slightly. "...Takeru?"

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_"Hey, Yamato! Guess what?" A blonde head appeared around the doorframe, grinning ecstatically--so ecstatically it was stupidly adorable. "Hikari said yes!"_

_Yamato smiled, both inwardly and outwardly. His brother had been crushing on Tai's sister ever since they had met five years ago, and had finally mustered the courage to ask her out. "Hey, congratulations, lil' bro!"_

_Takeru blushed slightly before entering the room, plopping down on Yamato's futon happily._

_"Haven't seen you this happy since...the gods know when!" He grinned, ruffling his brother's blond hair. "So, where's the happy new couple off to tonight?"_

_---- ---- ---- ----_

_"The hip new restaurant known only as 'The Hangout' was completely destroyed in the accident." His eyes went wide with fear as the newscaster continued. "Sadly, there are no reports of any survivors as of yet."_

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Yamato's eyes filled with tears, but none dared spill over. "...I guess not..."

Tai stopped just short of sighing exasperatedly, then sat down beside his friend. "If you don't want to talk about it, I guess it's okay. Just don't take it out on the rest of us."

Yamato turned to gaze at the brunet, who only watched the lake's serene surface. He turned back to the waters. "Thanks...and I'm sorry."

The brunet slowly, delicately lowered his head onto the other's shoulder, who tensed slightly.

_"The only reason why I left you was because I couldn't stand seeing Tai there all the time, gazing at us with such sorrow, such longing in those sad eyes."_ Is this what Sora had meant? Was it not that she had still liked Tai, but that she had seen the emotions the boy had had for him?

It was in those few moments that Yamato realized that Taichi loved him.

"Tai?" he murmured, wrapping his arm around the other's shoulder to bring him in closer.

The brunet was nearly ecstatic at the increased contact, at the sound of his voice on the tongue of his longtime crush. He could barely respond in a whisper. "Yes?"

"I love you."

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My first (and, as of yet, only) Digimon fanfic! What'd ya think? Seems a bit too sappy, almost pointless. I started this almost a year ago, and so I don't remember my exact intentions for Yamato's odd behavior--if I ever did... I just remember that I had a great idea for it. Now I'm not as happy as I think I would've been if I had been able to complete it much earlier than now.

Review with input, please!

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A/N (2004.06.24): Oh. My. Dear. Gods. [[cries]] Did I write that???

Only parts that I have edited/written are the results after his last "conversations" with the three. Those are very very very crappily written b/c I realized that I should prolly put something there to clarify that all of them are dead, and b/c I was trying to stay in the same writing style as it had originally been written in. [[sighs]] It's so hard to go back and write/draw again in your old style...X.x;

--;; ...This fic scares me. It scares me a lot. Wow. It's PWP, too...only not...lewd. x.x;

Honestly, I'm scared. Someone please hold me...? T-T

- an uberly frightened Kit -


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